More Tears Clean Floors

It's true Machine Gun Preacher deserved my kids' boycott. Their mature discernment is a credit to their generation. But having seen it and wept over East African anti-Christian warfare,

all the others now come to mind...

Drug Scarred Mexico. Secular Europe. Liberal Canada. Brow Beaten Indonesia. Communist China. ISLAMIC IRAN. Youcef Nadarkhani and his heroic lawyer.

A Conference Speaker yesterday requested we bleach our globes with tear stains. I recalled the immediacy with which I purchased our globe 20 years ago, emblem of guaranteed success for the home school classroom. I had such bold intentions to pray for missionaries with the "students."

It has hardly been touched.

"...Since the Egyptian Revolution in January, several riots prompted by Muslim crowds broke out against churches in Cairo and other small cities in Egypt, breaking down churches, burning others, and resulting in significant numbers of casualties and deaths. None of the aggressors were seized, even though their faces were caught on video as they were committing their crimes...

. . . Violent clashes began between the two groups, and then suddenly, to the shock of all the demonstrators, armored military vehicles sped into the crowd, striking protesters and fatally driving over at least 11! This reminded demonstrators of what took place by the police on January 28 during the Revolution…but no one expected this to come from the army who promised to protect the people and the Egyptian Revolution ..."  
-- Director of Focus on the Family, Egypt

(http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2011/10/14/on-the-murder-of-christians-in-egypt)

If I can put the unclean floor to work as sturdy kneeler, prayer launch, territory for intercession, demarkation around which Satan will not prevail, the day's purpose will be served. Every home needs a chapel and a globe, but barring either of those, an unscrubbed kitchen floor will do.

DejaView

It's an old slice of guitar found
under a bridge in a
causeway by a
bikeway

'Long Rio Saint Gabe.

But maybe, once baby
had a life with
Leonardo,
cause, wait.

There it is
by his r-i-p sign.

When we captured it first on
our last river ride,
never figured we'd see it
again.

There it was.
Hubby eyed it
as we left town on Friday
leaning proudly, reunited

Somehow?

"RIP Leonardo Florez," age 57,
Carson & Los Coyotes

The same old trashed icon,
it does catch your eye...

...from 3 posts back.

Now, today, home again and

just barely settled

comes a redux, a fight.

Not again.

It's on principle. Privacy.

His company's piracy.

Of course it's a 

huge disagree.

So, I'm looking for something to hang on my 

front porch: "Welcome 

to the Gulag"

it'll sing.

Until Christ comes again

(no, we'll still fight in heaven)

He will ever be

disappointing.

Dusty Bible of old

Let three children mold.

Dusty Constitution

Leaves a people in ruin,

Their muddy trashed icons 

leaned up 

against

death signs.

Congratulations "Dave And Kate - October 8!"

A dear couple will unite in marriage on Saturday.

Cousin Kate

What is marriage? Why marry? I remember beginning a paper on this subject as a junior in college. I became so befuddled and overwhelmed (and spiritually attacked, no doubt, since I was still concealing a hidden life of "food addiction") that I recall burying my head under a sweatshirt at my UCSD library desk, and crying, literally.

It's 29 years later, and all I can say on the matter is that I serve a God who healed, and continues to heal the unstable, rebellious, infirm parts of me; and to admit that I always intended to revisit the topic of sacred marriage, but am too chaotic, unread, and lacking in quality scholarship to do it justice.

I'm no closer to understanding all that scripture counsels on the matter, either (thanks to my insipid church... ).  This I do know: my marriage lasts because my husband is tremendously forgiving and patient and humble enough to pray with me after we fight and cry. And he prays with me on most other occasions, too.

So,

I texted him this image from a store last week. Asked him if he could hear these BOOKENDS "speaking to him?" (Wanted to ask if his already purchased wedding gift - a mosquito net from REI, was just a bit boring as wedding presents go, but I didn't - - just yet, anyway.)

The gentle giant loved these, and admitted the dbl-wide mosquito net was probably just an impulse-buy that he could take back.  Dave and Kate, avid backpackers, must already have DOZENS of mosquito nets, right?

WELL, I just finished making this note and began wondering... !What tremendous marriage how-to's could we squeeze between these miniature Mount Whitneys?

Being Out Of Budget makes that prospect Out Of the Question, but... let's just pretend we could go shopping for the perfect wedding "helps."  What would I dare suggest?

("Gram's EnglishToffee" for the wedding potluck.
Four batches the budget did stretch!)

Naturally, the book idea was not my own. It only came as I listened to Focus On The Family while putting finishing touches on the card this morning.  Today's broadcast topic inspired the thought:

First Comes Love, Then Comes Money, S & B Palmer

Wow. This couple's book sounds perfect.  But there are so many more...

Learning to Love Your Husband, Shaunti Feldhahn

How We Love, Kay and Milan Yerkovich

What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women, James Dobson

Holy Ambition, Chip Ingram

More Than Enough, Dave Ramsey

Overcoming Emotions That Destroy, B.C. Johnson

Walking Into Walls, Steve Arterburn

Every Man's Battle,  Steve Arterburn

Every Woman's Battle, Shannon Ethridge

Man, I love shopping. 

Congratulations, Kate and Dave! I'll be praying that the truth of Jesus' love and sacrifice  breaks out all over your weddedness, and that you will daily seek Him as Saviour and Lord.

Love, 

Auntie E of the LBC